Swiss Women, Workers Call for a National Day of Action, Strike For Wage Equality

Swiss women and a major Swiss union have called for a national day of action for wage equality for women and for a minimum wage of $4,000 a month for all workers. The Swiss franc and the U.S. dollar are about on par, the franc worth a little more than a U.S. dollar. The new minimum wage that the union and women are seeking would be the equivalent of $48,000 per year. The current minimum wage is $3,000 per month which was won in the 1980s. Switzerland has one of the highest costs of living in the world. (For an English language page on the UNIA unions see: http://www.unia.ch/English-Window.593.0.html?&L=1)

“Swiss women make 19 percent less than men, despite the gender equality article in the Constitution,” … The union argues that 40 percent of the wage difference can only be explained by discrimination.

UNIA’s Demand for Wage Equality and a Higher Minimum

The UNIA labor federation argues that the right to a living wage is anchored in the Swiss Constitution and call for the Confederation and the cantons (Switzerland’s “states”) to adopt measures to protect workers’ wages. UNIA calls upon the government to insure that collective bargaining agreements be based upon the accepted minimum wages in localities, industries and professions. The union federation demands that legislators establish a minimum wage of 22 francs an hour based on a 42-hour work week, or the equivalent of 4,000 Swiss francs over a six-month period. The minimum wage, says the union, should be, linked to the cost-of-living. Cantons themselves might set higher minimums in particular regions.

UNIA has taken up this issue seriously. Beginning in December of 2008, the union opened its doors to women offering them free consultations on wage equality. It also organized a national campaign to educate the Swiss public about the issue and to encourage women to fight for wage equality. The labor federation also published a brochure titled “Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value, Women and Equality: How to Defend Yourself.” And the union published a Wage Inequality Calculator where women workers could go to see just how out of line their wages were. (http://www.lohn-sgb.ch/fairpay/branche.php?l=F) UNIA, in addition to organizing the women’s strike, is also active in the parliament to put forward legislation to prevent women from suffering wage discrimination.

The union argues that women make less for a variety of reasons. First, typically female work is less valued and therefore paid less than men’s work. Since women’s work is often seen as supplementing a family’s income, they more often work part time than men do (57% for women and 12% for men), and this affects their opportunities for promotion. Women in the work place are less likely to have key positions or managing positions than are men (23% for women as against 37% for men). And, women generally earn a low wage or salary than male colleagues at the time they enter their field of work, with lifetime implications for their earnings.